Jeepneys: A Commuter's Dream Come True

Julia Gran writes that U.S. cities can learn a lot from a unique, successful, and cost-effective transportation system in use in the Phillipines.

1 minute read

February 26, 2002, 6:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"Freedom can mean different and even opposite things. It can mean the freedom to emit muck into the air,for example, or the freedom to breathe clean air. In regard to transportation, it can mean the freedom to drive a car or the freedom that comes from not needing a car...[A] remarkable transportation system [in the Phillipines] requires no high-tech gizmos, massive investment, or grandiose public or corporate schemes. The system has answers for many deficiencies of mass transit in the US. For one thing, there's little waiting. In and around cities, the flow of vehicles is continuous...Where American automobiles sit unused most of the day, the Jeepneys are in constant service. They carry 20 passengers or more instead of one or two. [Includes a link to Gerard's Jeepney Collection - with photos]

Thanks to Linda LaSut

Thursday, February 21, 2002 in The Christian Science Monitor

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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